1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a data converter and its converting method, and more particularly, to a data converter and its converting method that applies to the air transport and has the functions by employing both the barcode technology and the RFID technology while conforming with the relevant codes and recommendations of regulations of international civil aviation used in the operation of the consigned shipment of the passenger's luggage for converting the external barcode data.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Following the improvement of the optical encoding technology, the optical encoding information have become very popular, among them, the barcode is the one that is most commonly used. The barcode is a technology employed to substitute keyboard for digital and literal input into the computer. In other words, one is able to have the digital and literal input into the computer directly through the scanning of the barcode without the necessity of pressing the keyboard. The purpose of barcode design is to execute the stock-in and stock-out control of the article, the statistics of the location and quantity of depositing the article to facilitate the management personnel for performing the inquiry and control on the logistic status of the article.
Currently, most of the air transport enterprises still employ the barcode technology for identifying the data relevant to the passenger's luggage. As the passenger checks in at the airline counter, the counter personnel will immediately provide the barcode data for the passenger. The barcode data, besides being able to be printed on the sticker, are able to be transmitted to the data information center (e.g. the SITA company, name of a company providing data information service). The data information center will collect all the barcode data transmitted by the airline companies and plan as a whole. However, the airline company needs to increase the cost required by the management since the airline company has to obtain the relevant data of a certain luggage through the information service center.
The relations between the prior arts known by the applicant and the invention are depicted as follows:
1. Taiwan patent made public No. 200636600 on Oct. 16 of 2006—“Combined Barcode Scanner and Radio Frequency Identification Reader with Field Interpretation Array”
The invention patent of the prior art providing a combined barcode scanner and radio frequency identification reader includes a microprocessor control unit, an RFID module, a barcode scanning module, a host computer interface, and a user interface.
Both the invention patent of the prior art and the invention have the bar-code device and the RFID device integrated to a single hardware device. However, both the bar-code device and the RFID device of the invention patent of the prior art are independent actions, the invention patent of the prior art is unable to perform the action that after reading the barcode data by the barcode device, it is capable of automatically converting into the RFID electronic tag data and writing into the electronic tag through the RFID device, what is more, its RFID portion is a read-only structure. Therefore, the invention patent of the prior art is capable of performing hardware integration only and is unable to achieve information integration. This is the demerit of the invention patent of the prior art.
2. U.S. Pat. No. 7,055,750 B2 (Jun. 6, 2006)—“Device and Method for Encoding Data in Multiple Media”;
The invention patent of the prior art provides a system and device capable of converting from a certain data format into another data format. The data format includes barcode format and RFID electronic tag format. The system including a barcode reader is capable of using in reading the barcode data and automatically writing the barcode data into the RFID electronic tag. Besides being capable of reading the RFID electronic tag data and automatically converting into barcode data, it is capable of printing out through the barcode printer too.
Although the invention patent of the prior art is capable of using in the data conversion between the barcode device and the RFID device (i.e. to convert the barcode into the RFID or to covert the RFID into barcode), the data content are not changed. Therefore, the invention patent of the prior art does not have the function of data reprocessing, thereby is not capable of using as the security tracing of the luggage for the air transport. This is the demerit of the invention patent of the prior art.
3. U.S. Pat. No. 7,114,654 B2 (Oct. 3, 2006)—“RFID Encoder and Verifier;
The invention patent of the prior art provides an RFID reading and writing system combining a barcode printing and application system. The RFID reading and writing system is capable of verifying if the writing-in of the tag and the printing-out of the barcode are correct before the tag is used to stick on the consigned shipment luggage or articles.
Similar to the foregoing U.S. invention U.S. Pat. No. 7,055,750 B2 depicted in item no. 2, the invention patent of the prior art is capable of using in the data conversion between the barcode device and the RFID device (i.e. to convert the barcode into the RFID or to covert the RFID into barcode), the data content are not changed. Therefore, the invention patent does not have the function of data reprocessing, thereby is not capable of using as the security tracing of the luggage for the air transport. This is the demerit of the invention patent of the prior art.
4. China Utility Model No. ZL200520108771.9 (Jul. 26, 2006)—“Data Reading Device”
The invention patent of the prior art provides a palm top digital reading device that is capable of reading the barcode and the RFID tags respectively and start the barcode reader or the RFID electronic tag reader in accordance with the pressing location of the key pressing switch.
Similar to the foregoing Taiwan invention patent No. 200636600 depicted in item 1, both the invention patent of the prior art and the invention have the bar-code device and the RFID device integrated to a single hardware device. However, both the bar-code device and the RFID device of the invention patent of the prior art are independent actions, the invention patent of the prior art is unable to perform the action that after reading the barcode data by the barcode device, it is capable of automatically converting into the RFID electronic tag data and writing into the electronic tag through the RFID device, what is more, its RFID portion is a read-only structure. Therefore, the invention patent of the prior art is capable of performing hardware integration only and is unable to achieve information integration. This is the demerit of the invention patent of the prior art.